Abstract
The interaction of a geophysical columnar vortex such as a tornado with a bounding lower surface presents many intriguing problems. Observational studies suggest that the character of the surface may exert some control over vortex formation, and that changes in surface roughness encountered by a translating vortex can result in abrupt transitions in core structure. As an example of the former effect, it has been suggested that the contrast between the smooth ocean surface and the much rougher land surface accounts for the absence over land of a phenomenon directly equivalent to the waterspout. Further, Fujita (1973) has suggested that the “heat island” and the very rough surface offered by large urban complexes accounts for the paucity of tornado occurrences within such areas. Concerning the impact of changing surface roughness on a tornado core, Blechman (1975) describes the rapid reorganization of two different tornadoes from multiple- to single-vortex configurations upon their moving from relatively smooth to much rougher surfaces.
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© 1984 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Snow, J.T. (1984). Surface Roughness Effects on Modeled Atmospheric Vortices. In: Brebbia, C.A., Keramidas, G.A. (eds) Computational Methods and Experimental Measurements. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-06375-0_11
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-06375-0_11
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